Killer Whales Dying In Pacific Ocean, No Babies since 2011, Population Dropping

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Killer Whales Dying In Pacific Ocean, No Babies since 2011, Population Dropping

Kevin Blanch says the Pacific ocean is dying. He calls it the Pacific genocide. How much evidence of this is there, or is Kevin just 'fearmongering'? Let's dive in and see what the evidence shows... Draw your own conclusions.

NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION REPORTS ON KILLER WHALES; THEY ARE IN TROUBLE


NWP: "When West Coast wild chinook stocks plummeted in the mid-1990s, the southern resident orca population dropped from 99 in 1995 to about 80 in 2001. The northern resident population went from 219 to 202 during roughly the same time period. "Mortality in some years was 300 percent greater than we expected," says John K.B. Ford of Fisheries and Oceans Canada--Canada's lead federal manager of oceans and inland waters--who has studied killer whales for 30 years.

Puget Sound is steeped in toxics from pulp and paper mills, oil refineries, ports, boatyards and storm-water runoff. Salmon and other fish store in their bodies toxic pollutants they absorb from this environment. As a result of eating these contaminated fish, Puget Sound killer whales have some of the highest concentrations of highly carcinogenic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) of any marine mammal in the world, says Gary Wiles, a wildlife biologist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. They also have high levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, which are toxic fire retardants.

As salmon numbers dwindle, killer whales burn blubber to survive, transferring toxics from blubber to vital organs. "When orcas metabolize fat that's 1,000 parts per million PCBs, it's phenomenally toxic," Balcomb says. "Even trace amounts of PCBs disrupt the orcas' endocrine systems, adversely affecting reproduction and their immune systems. We have seen whales become emaciated and disappear. And lots of reproduction-age females are not reproducing."
http://www.nwf.org/news-and-magazines/national-wildlife/animals/archives/2006/orcas-on-the-edge.aspx

Experts: 100% death rate for baby killer whales along West Coast — ‘Alarm bells ring’ as no newborns have survived in past 3 years — “This is absolutely the worst thing possible”, pregnant orca dies with decomposing stillborn full-term fetus inside — “We’re going to lose them… they’ll be extinct for sure” (VIDEO)

IUCN REPORT ON KILLER WHALES; THEY ARE IN TROUBLE


Wikipedia; "The IUCN currently assesses the orca's conservation status as data deficient because of the likelihood that two or more killer whale types are separate species. Some local populations are considered threatened or endangered due to prey depletion, habitat loss, pollution (by PCBs), capture for marine mammal parks, and conflicts with fisheries. In late 2005, the "southern resident" population of killer whales that inhabits British Columbia and Washington state waters were placed on the U.S. Endangered Species list.
A world map shows killer whales are found throughout every ocean, except parts of the Arctic. They are also absent from the Black and Baltic Seas.
Orcinus orca range (in blue

Once the stocks of larger species were depleted, killer whales were targeted by commercial whalers in the mid-20th century. Between 1954 and 1997, Japan took 1,178 killer whales and Norway took 987.[185] Over 3,000 killer whales were taken by Soviet whalers,[186] including an Antarctic catch of 916 in 1979–80 alone, prompting the International Whaling Commission to recommend a ban on commercial hunting of the species pending further research.[185] Today, no country carries out a substantial hunt, although Indonesia and Greenland permit small subsistence hunts...Whalers more often considered them a nuisance, however, as they would gather to scavenge meat from the whalers' catch.[187] Some populations, such as in Alaska's Prince William Sound, may have been reduced significantly by whalers shooting them in retaliation.[18]

Killer whales are notable for their complex societies. Only elephants and higher primates, such as humans, live in comparably complex social structures.[73] Due to orcas' complex social bonds and society, many marine experts have concerns about how humane it is to keep these animals in captive situations.[128] Resident killer whales in the eastern North Pacific have a particularly complex and stable social grouping system. Unlike any other mammal species whose social structure is known, residents live with their mothers for their entire lives. These societies are based on matrilines consisting of the matriarch and her descendants which form part of the line, as do their descendants. The average size of a matriline is 5.5 animals.[129]

Because females can reach age 90, as many as four generations travel together. These matrilineal groups are highly stable. Individuals separate for only a few hours at a time, to mate or forage. With one exception, the killer whale named Luna, no permanent separation of an individual from a resident matriline has been recorded.[129]

Closely related matrilines form loose aggregations called pods, usually consisting of one to four matrilines. Unlike matrilines, pods may separate for weeks or months at a time.[129] DNA testing indicates resident males nearly always mate with females from other pods.[130]

Killer whales, like this one spotted near Alaska, commonly breach, often lifting their entire bodies out of the water.

Clans, the next level of resident social structure, are composed of pods with similar dialects, and common but older maternal heritage. Clan ranges overlap, mingling pods from different clans.[129]

The final association layer, perhaps more arbitrarily defined than the familial groupings, is called the community, and is defined as a set of clans that regularly commingle. Clans within a community do not share vocal patterns."

GLOBAL FISHERY TRENDS ARE MADE UP OF MANY NEGATIVE TIPPING POINTS 


Obviously, because the oceans are so large, anyone can find local areas where sealife populations (including killer whales) are 'thriving' or 'normal', but that is not the point.. The larger global trends are what matters, and they are negative, for the most part especially in those areas were fishing and civilization 'emissions' are part of the equation. Killer whales are subject to shooting by fishermen, capture by theme parks, noise damage from military sonars, and health issues from concentration of chemicals, radiation, heavy metals and more. Killer whales are having problems globally, so that indicates something is wrong in the food chain below them. This is not just a local problem, but something that is global, and should be looked at in this way. 


The number of killer whales has been dropping drastically from historic levels, because their food supply is also disappearing. One cannot support the historically large killer whale populations on the small amount of salmon that are left, due to mass die off's of 90% or more. 

2014 - Global Ocean Fishery Negative Tipping Point Report; via @AGreenRoad
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2014/05/2014-global-ocean-fishery-tipping-point.html

2014 - Dead Zones In World's Oceans And Large Lakes Report
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2014/06/2014-dead-zones-in-worlds-oceans-and.html

2014 - List of 45+ Negative Global Tipping Points; via @AGreenRoad
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2014/04/2014-list-of-45-global-tipping-points.html

SHIFTING BASELINES



SHIFTING BASELINES ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM


As the video points out, shifting baselines are also part of the problem, because if one does not even know what one started with, one cannot know what 'normal' even looks like. 90% of the salmon, or more, have disappeared in most areas.

But now, many people believe that this situation involving only a very small number of salmon returning 1 -2 times a year (instead of many runs throughout the year) is 'normal', and the small numbers leftover from the first mass die off are being used as a normal 'baseline'.

The same thing applies to killer whales. No one really knows how many whales or killer whales there were originally, much less how many there are now on a global basis, since no one is counting them globally. Who knows how many of those original populations are left? What ends up happening is that the few that are left over are used as a 'baseline'. It looks much better to lose 20 out of a 100, than to lose 20 out of an original 3,000, with only 100 left after the rest died off due to human activities or pollutants.

Huge ocean dead zones return or continue each year, so they are now the 'normal'. At what point does the normal grow into one massive dead zone all year long, in the whole Pacific ocean? Right now, huge dead zones are present all around the world, and they come and go. Those dead zones are growing for the most part. Ocean water is also becoming warmer as well as more and more acidic. Add this problem on top of the radioactive garbage dumped, poured and being deposited via radiation plumes.. The result is a triple whammy for all life in the ocean, all the way up to killer whales. It is possible to say that all of these problems lead to a process that could be called (the oceans are dying).
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-deadzone15feb15-story.html#page=1

KILLER WHALES NO LONGER REPRODUCING, POPULATION DROPPING


Killer whales dying along Pacific coast — “Very sick, emaciated, slow moving and shallow breathing” — Population at lowest level in decades — No babies born in over 2 years — Alarming changes in behavior observed; Social structure is ‘splintering’ (PHOTO)





S. California fishermen ‘skunked… haven’t seen a squid’, usually 10,000+ lbs/day — ‘Complete crashes’ at oyster hatcheries — Sardines, mackerel missing in areas — Pelican sites alarmingly deserted — Record # of sick sea lions — Mammals, birds, fish in odd places
http://enenews.com/very-unusual-fish-catches-never-happened-before-california-fishing-boats-havent-squid-recently-10000-pounds-day-complete-crashes-oyster-hatcheries-sardines-mackerel-be-found-ultra-rare-wha


Female Orca killer whale beaches herself and dies in Hawaii; very rare event.

newsblackoutUSA September 5, 2014  "This has been happening for some time.




Dead killer whale beached near Tokyo, Japan


Killer whales dying along Pacific coast — “Very sick, emaciated” — Population at lowest level in decades — Steep decline began after 2011 — No babies born in past 2 years — Alarming changes in behavior observed; Social structure is ‘splintering’ (PHOTO)September 5, 2014

MANY OTHER SPECIES ARE EXPERIENCING MASS DIE OFFS 


Isn't it a reasonable conclusion, to say that killer whales as an apex predator are just one of many species that are EVIDENCE of the dying of many species that inhabit the Pacific ocean? The ocean itself is becoming inhospitable to sea life, starting with the most fragile bottom of the food chain organisms, and working up from there. The trends seem to be mostly negative, with things getting worse, not better, overall. It is not just killer whales that are having the problems, it is many other species as well.

Experts: “Really an off year” — Pelicans starving in Pacific Northwest since 2011, killing baby birds for food — Breeding success “really poor” since 2011 — “I believe pelicans are responding to large scale changes” — “Sardine crash” persists in Pacific since decline in 2011 December 22, 2013


The longer term end result of these few first and very visible species disappearing is the same; the eventual death of the Pacific ocean and much or most of the life in it. How else would you describe mass die off's of multiple species over just a couple of generations, or even faster in some cases, just in the last couple of years, all the way from Alaska to Mexico?

50 species of starfish disappearing from Mexico to Alaska should be on the nightly news every day, and it should stimulate INTENSE research to figure out ALL of the root cause(s). Herring, seals, sea lions, killer whales, polar bears, birds, and more are all having problems and experiencing mass die offs, not just locally but all along the Pacific coastline from Alaska to Mexico.. Isn't this a HUGE red flag that something is SERIOUSLY wrong? 

SINCE 3/11 FUKUSHIMA MEGA NUCLEAR DISASTER, MASS DIE OFFS ARE THE RULE 

As Kevin and others are pointing out, this die off and lack of ability to breed and raise young is not just a 'temporary' problem such as algae affecting local populations, or a periodic dip in animal populations, or a migration of animals from one area to another.

What seems to be happening now is systemic, large scale and multi year mass die offs, health problems and/or the inability to successfully raise young in many species. The evidence that Fukushima radiation is involved and is a factor in the latest round of accelerating mass die offs is accumulating and building, especially in the young, even if the adults are surviving for the time being.

Seals, Walruses, Polar Bears And Fish ARE Suffering From Fukushima Radiation Caused Effects; via A Green Road

Fukushima Radiation Found In Alaska Lichen, Arctic Snow, Plus Sea Animals Like Salmon, Clams, Seals, Walruses, Polar Bears

70% Of All Sea Lions Dying In California; Fukushima Radiation The Cause; via @AGreenRoad

Mass Die Off Of Starfish, Chitons, Abalone, Mussels, Sun Stars Pacific Ocean California To Vancouver; via @AGreenRoad
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2013/09/mass-die-off-of-starfish-chitons.html

2014 Salmon Second Mass Die Off In Progress From Fukushima Radiation? First Mass Die Off From Dams, Running The Gauntlet; PBS Nature; via A Green Road
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/05/salmon-running-gauntlet.html

FUKUSHIMA RADIATION MAGNIFIES UP THE FOOD CHAIN; WHAT EFFECT IS IT HAVING ON KILLER WHALES AND HUMANS? 


Remember that all animals have their place in a food pyramid, with the lowest level being the plankton and the algae. Radiation concentrates and magnifies up the food chain to humans and killer whales who are at the top.

Plutonium And Cesium Bio-Concentrates 26,000 Times In Ocean Algae, Up To 5,570,000 Bq/Kg in Land Algae; via @AGreenRoad
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2013/04/plutonium-and-cesium-bio-concentrates.html

The next step up the ladder consists of the above species and articles links, which prove and document that those species are experiencing mass die offs or having huge problems, starting since 2011. The step up the ladder from those critters are the killer whales, and they also are documented to be having massive problems since 2011.

It would be easy to document if Fukushima radiation is at least part of the cause, by doing necropsy and then radiation measurements of DRIED tissue samples of killer whale heart, thyroid, liver, muscles and bone. Because each organ or gland concentrates different man made radioactive elements, each one will give information. Is anyone doing this? No..

HoTaters October 9, 2014 "SETAC — Prof. J. Alava and F.A. Gobas, Simon Fraser Univ., Nov. 13, 2014: [T]o track the long term fate and bioaccumulation of 137Cs in marine organisms… we assessed the bioaccumulation potential of 137Cs in a North West Pacific food-web… [Specifically, the] marine mammalian food web… outcomes showed that 137Cs can be expected to bioaccumulate gradually… [The] magnification factor for 137Cs [was] from 5.0 at 365 days of simulation to 30 at 10,950 days. From 1 year to 30 years of simulation, the 137Cs activities predicted in the male killer whale were 6.0 to 182 times 137Cs activities in its major prey [Chinook salmon]… This modeling work showed that in addition to the ocean dilution of 137Cs, a magnification of this radionuclide takes place in the marine food web over time."


The bigger question is; what negative effect is or will Fukushima radiation have on human health, particularly the kids, who are most sensitive to even small amounts of radiation? Humans are also apex predators, just like killer whales. There is no way that killer whales and humans can eat the same food and not experience the exact same results. Of course, different locations will have different results, more than likely big cities having worse outcomes than pristine wilderness areas with no population to speak of, and no industry fouling the ocean waters. 

Nature works according to laws. There is no exception to breaking Nature's laws for animals or humans. If humans work in harmony with the laws of Nature, there is a benefit. But humans are currently fighting and violating the laws of Nature. 'Civilized' humans are completely out of harmony with Nature and her laws. Neither corporations or humans cannot win this 'war' that is currently being fought against Nature. 

Environmental Threats, Holistic Living, Health, Self-Healing, And Renewable Energy
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/p/green-energy-green-living.html

Art And Science Of Deception; Global Corporations And The 1%
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/p/corporations-art-and-science-of.html



A whole pod of 9 killer whales beaches themselves in New Zealand and dies. Couln't this be pointing at some huge problem(s) in the ocean? Has there ever been something like this happening ever before? This is the most intelligent living thing in the ocean, or if not, they are in the top three. If they are committing suicide not just individually but as a FAMILY unit, something really bad must be happening. It would be the equivalent of a couple of families in a typical neighborhood killing themselves.. Something like this pod suicide points to a severe and really bad problem, because families just don't do that normally.

Of course, there is no absolute 'evidence'. These whales cannot say why they committed suicide, because they are dead. Dead whales don't normally leave suicide notes, but this is or should be very alarming news. According to Wikipedia, no one is studying this, and no one is even counting how many killer whales are left, but there are plenty of people trying to profit off of or kill the few killer whales that are left.

The easiest way out is to say it is a mystery and never try to figure it out or do any actual testing of tissue samples, including radiation, and that is exactly what the government and ocean biologists are doing.. They blame all of this mass die off from Alaska to Mexico of many species both on land and in the ocean, on some viral 'syndrome'. 

MARINE THEME PARKS: IS IT JUSTIFIABLE TO CAPTURE AND HOLD KILLER WHALES IN CAPTIVITY?

Is it justifiable to capture killer whales and/or dolphins, when their populations are dropping in the wild and their populations are small percentages of what they used to be historically? Frontline investigates the issue of marine 'zoos'...

Frontline: A Whale of a Business
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3fZ2dMdtu8

If money and profits were not the focus, would marine theme parks still exist? Wouldn't you agree that money/profit seems to be driving all of the decisions being made, and that those decisions are not oriented towards saving the planet? Are these theme parks helping or hurting killer whales and dolphins in the wild?

HUGE PROFITS IN DOLPHIN SLAUGHTER AND KILLER WHALE SALES


Taijit Bay Japan, The Place Where Thousands of Dolphins Are Slaughtered Every Year
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2014/07/taijit-bay-japan-place-where-thousands.html

Unless these theme parks are going to actively help in saving what life is left in the oceans, their actions amount to nothing more than greenwashing and pretending that everything is still ok out in the oceans. To the extent that this myth is passed on to the public in these types of facilities, they are guilty of helping in causing the death of the oceans and mass die off of fishery species, via fairly brutal and profit motivated methods, such as the ones used at Taijit Bay in Japan.  Rather than helping to preserve and reverse the decline, the theme parks and swim with the dolphin facilities are actually accelerating it, with rare exceptions.

COUNTING THE FEW KILLER WHALES THAT ARE LEFT


Wikipedia; "Bigg's techniques also revealed the Pacific Northwest population was in the low hundreds rather than the thousands that had been previously assumed.[169] The southern resident community alone had lost 48 of its members to captivity; by 1976, only 80 remained.[181] In the Pacific Northwest, the species that had unthinkingly been targeted became a cultural icon within a few decades.[149]The killer whale's intelligence, trainability, striking appearance, playfulness in captivity and sheer size have made it a popular exhibit at aquaria and aquatic theme parks.

From 1976 to 1997, 55 whales were taken from the wild in Iceland, 19 from Japan, and three from Argentina. These figures exclude animals that died during capture. Live captures fell dramatically in the 1990s, and by 1999, about 40% of the 48 animals on display in the world were captive-born.[188]

(Trying to capture just one killer whale can result in the deaths of many more killer whales in the attempt. Dead killer whales sink out of sight, out of mind, and since no one is counting, who cares how many die to get just one killer whale into a theme park?)

Organizations such as World Animal Protection and theWhale and Dolphin Conservation Society campaign against the practice of keeping them in captivity. In captivity, killer whales often develop pathologies, such as the dorsal fin collapse seen in 60–90% of captive males. Captives have vastly reduced life expectancies, on average only living into their 20s.[Note 3] In the wild, females which survive infancy live 50 years on average, and up to 70–80 years in rare cases. Wild males who survive infancy live 30 years on average, and up to 50–60 years.[189] 

Captivity usually bears little resemblance to wild habitat, and captive whales' social groups are foreign to those found in the wild. Critics claim captive life is stressful due to these factors and the requirement to perform circus tricks that are not part of wild killer whale behavior.[190] Wild killer whales travel up to 160 kilometers (100 mi) each day, and critics say the animals are too big and intelligent to be suitable for captivity.[141] 

Captives occasionally act aggressively towards themselves, their tankmates, or humans, which critics say is a result of stress.[174] Between 1991 and 2010, the bull orca known as Tilikum killed three people, and was featured in the critically acclaimed 2013 film, Blackfish.[191] Tilikum has lived at SeaWorld since 1992.[192][193][194][195]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whale

ARE KILLER WHALE THEME PARKS GREENWASHING?


Based on the above facts, wouldn't you agree that marine theme parks that capture dolphins and killer whales from the wild are actually greenwashing? 

Greenwashing; Fake 'Green' Products, Services And Industries; Misleading Half Truths And Public Manipulations

Could it be that these marine theme parks and aquariums are just places to showcase 'products' and generate revenue, making short term profits off of a rapidly collapsing environmental and ecological system and living web of life that includes killer whales and dolphins? Or, are they going to transition into places where people can go to learn not just about the animals, but also how to save the planet and these animals as well?

So far, it seems that these theme parks, zoos and aquariums may be either outright denying, minimizing or skirting the very REAL planet 911 emergency issues which AGRP dives into in great depth. See index to all articles links below this article.


As an alternative to theme parks, maybe it would be better to arrange going out with LOCAL ocean tour guides that can give you this kind of experience...  No animals are harmed and seven future generations can do this. The money spent on doing your adventure benefits the local economy, rather than some huge corporate giant. And if you take a video, it may go viral like this one did, and get you 4 MILLION views.  Finally, no killer whale families are broken up and torn apart to provide entertainment for people. 

SUMMARY


This painting by Kevin Blanch (from video above) represents the Pacific ocean and his feeling and/or thinking about what condition it is in. Is it any wonder that there are mass die off's of multiple species?

Maybe it is not just Fukushima radiation that is causing the die off of multiple species, but the witches brew of chemicals, hormones, heavy metals, carbon based pesticides, acid ocean water, methane emissions, fertilizers and radioactive poisons have now gotten to the point where mass die off's of multiple species are taking off and accelerating.

Instead of documenting and studying the many potential causes of the mass die off of many species, (including radiation) plus giving warnings to humanity, many to most scientists, nuclear experts, and biologists are playing the 'it is all a mystery' game, denying anything bad is happening or covering it all up, while avoiding any mention or actual testing of radiation. 

PhilipUpNorth September 5, 2014  "Killer Whale population crash. Just another card/species falling in the House Of Cards that is the delicately balanced Pacific Ocean Ecosystem. Will the decline, caused by corporate greed and government corruption in general, and by the nuclear industry cabal in particular, reach throughout Earth's Biosphere? Stay tuned." 

Unless massive and quick changes are made to how people live and how companies do business, there is very little hope of saving of what is left. All countries need to move to a nuclear and carbon free future with cradle to cradle zero chemical emissions if humanity is to have any hope of surviving, much less prospering. The odds of humanity making it through the accelerating 45+ negative tipping points are dropping fast. Time is running out. Looking at all of the negative tipping points that are accelerating and combining into a perfect storm, time is of the essence. Every day counts. Every action matters. What kinds of actions can make a difference? Here is one success story, just to give an example...

SOME GOOD NEWS: HUMANS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND TURN THINGS AROUND


In an unprecedented change in the ratings for such a large number of species from 'avoid' to a 'sustainable' rating, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch programme is moving 21 species of West Coast fish to sustainable status, due in large part to the success of a fisheries management programme that began in 2011 and championed by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

Do what you can, where you can. Think about 7 future generations before committing to do anything, or spending any money. Support those few organizations and people that are doing the right thing, and not just greenwashing.


And on that note, remember, we are still aliving, so everything's ok. Do your best and never give up.

Thanks for your generous and very appreciated support!
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Killer Whales Dying In Pacific Ocean, No Babies since 2011, Population Dropping
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2014/09/killer-whales-die-off-along-pacific.html

For more articles;

Animals, Insects, Birds And Plants - Negative Effects Of Chronic, Cumulative Man Made Radiation
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/p/animals-and-low-level-radiation-effects.html

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